He’s the richest comic on this planet whose jokes have amassed him a £56m fortune – however you’ve got in all probability by no means heard of him… here is his secret to changing into so widespread

The highest earning comedians of 2024 have been revealed but the funnyman who’s name has secured the top spot might leave some surprised. 

Nate Bargatze’s jokes have amassed him an incredible £56million fortune – but not for the reason you would think. 

The American stand-up comedian and actor, 45, who hails from Nashville, has steered clear of profanity, controversial and dark comedy and his career has skyrocketed thanks to this approach. 

Nate launched his career in comedy in 2002 after taking a chance and attending a college in Chicago for an eight-week course, a decision which paid off. 

After securing gigs at Zanies in the city, he went on to perform in his hometown, Nashville, as well as New York City. 

‘At that point, I was obsessed. I tell people you have to be obsessed. With obsession, you don’t give up,’ he told Variety. 

Explaining his style, Nate added: ‘I’m from the South: I talk slower, and people aren’t always used to that. I’m clean, don’t do sex jokes or drug jokes, so I’ve learned to work the opposite of what those folks are doing. 

‘In New York or L.A., they might be laughing at you — and in the middle of the country, they’re laughing with you. Either way, they’re laughing.’ 

In 2007 he secured a spot on a Country Music Television special, Just for Laughs Festival, and a slot on Conan, quitting his job at Applebee’s. 

The comic released his first album Yelled at by a Clown in 2014, which peaked at no.2 on the Billboard Top Ten Comedy Charts and stayed within the top ten for two weeks. 

His first Netflix special The Tennessee Kid dropped in 2019, followed by a second, The Greatest Average American in 2021 which earned him a 2022 Grammy nomination. 

The comic launched The Nateland Podcast in 2020 and also broke a record at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena after drawing in 19,365 attendees. 

Nate’s career reached new heights in October 2023 when he made several appearances on Saturday Night Live as one of the show’s hosts. 

The choice, which may have come as a surprise to some viewers, proved to be a triumph when he received rave reviews. 

Nate made a triumphant return to host Saturday Night Live for the second time back in 2024.  

The comedian, whose molasses-slow delivery has made him one of the most popular stand ups in the country, gave SNL fans what they had been craving by reprising his Washington’s Dream sketch.

He also got some help rocking out during the musical segments from Coldplay and frontman Chris Martin, who were promoting their new album Moon Music, which was released on Friday, and Andy Samberg’s sketch trio The Lonely Island, which returned with their first music video of the season.

The original version of Washington’s Dream, which became an instant classic, featured Nate, playing George Washington as he tried to inspire a group of soldiers fighting in the American Revolution.

But instead of outlining his hopes for their military strategy or dreaming of a grander country they were hoping to found, the general-turned-first president of the United States aspired to institute the United States customary system of measurements and to adopt the Fahrenheit scale instead of temperature readings, as opposed to Celsius. 

Nate was joined by SNL stars Bowen Yang, Mikey Day, Kenan Thompson and James Austin Johnson when he appeared in his first sketch of the night as George Washington.

He landed 17 million views on SNL’s YouTube with the sketch and secured 4.9 million viewers, the largest audience since Martin Short and Steve Martin in December 2022.

‘I was really just a stand-up comedian. I wasn’t the most mainstream candidate. I had Pete Davidson, Jimmy Fallon, John Mulaney, a lot of those guys would mention me to [show creator] Lorne Michaels. My name was getting tossed around probably more than I realised,’ Nate told Las Vegas Review Journal.

Nate married his wife Laura in 2006 after meeting when they both worked at Applebee’s in their 20s. 

They went on to welcome a daughter and live on a quiet cul-du-sac 25 minutes south of Nashville. 

According to Housing Market News his neighbours had ‘no idea he lived there’, they said: ‘We had no idea Nate Bargatze lived here until we saw him taking out the trash one day. He’s just like any other neighbour – friendly, unassuming, and always ready with a quick joke.’ 

Elsewhere, Sebastian Maniscalco came in second on the world’s top list with a staggering £38million, while Jerry Seinfeld came in third with £31million. 

Sebastian, 51, is known for his observations on family life and jokes about his Italian heritage. 

He has also voice acted in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and starred in films such as 2019’s The Irishman and 2022’s Somewhere in Queens. 

The funnyman both wrote and starred in About My Father, which is loosely based on his life, and featured Robert De Niro as his onscreen dad. 

For the UK Peter Kay topped the 2024 rich list thanks to his residency tour, which earned him an impressive £27million. 

The comedian’s Better Late Than Never tour came up trumps, beating Michael McIntyre’s £10.3million earnings.

Tickets to the 51-year-old comic’s gig cost an average of £59.70 in stark comparison to Michael’s £43.35 tickets.

According to The Sun, Pollstar claimed Peter dominated the box office’s earnings for comedians.

Pollstar’s JR Lind said: ‘The mainstreaming of stand-up comedy continued in 2024, shoving its way into the serious sides of the discourse. 

‘The proliferation of streaming, social media and podcasting has accelerated the career velocity of a working comic and changed the calculus.

‘The new math gives comics the ability to reach an audience anytime, anywhere, building a fanbase as rabid and dedicated as a pop star, they no longer can be pigeonholed as the court jesters skewering the powerful and humorously noting their shortcomings.’

Peter announced 21 new dates in November 2024, kicking off in February 2025 and will finish his show in February 2026.

Pete Kay Live originally kicked off in December 2022 and the new dates will see him visit 16 cities over the course of a year.

The new tour which will run in 2025 and 2026 will include his first dates at Aberdeen P&J Live, Brighton Centre, Bournemouth International Centre and Isle of Man Villa Marina.

Peter has already broken records during the tour after selling out 45 dates at London’s O2 Arena, the only artist to do so in the world.

The funnyman also performed a record 100 shows at the Manchester AO Arena – breaking all attendance and performance records.